The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-05
ANOTHER RAILWAY SLAUGHTER.

d
CLEVELAND O., Jan. 4-The Leaders Tiffin,
o., special says: One of the most horrible and
heartrendng accidents ever chronicled occurred
near Republic, about eight miles east of here. at
2 o'clock this morning At 1 o'clock an east
bound freight train of the Baltimore & Ohio
railway in charge Of conductor Fletcher, pulled |
out of this city, having received orders to side
track at the Scipio siding to allow the eastbound
express to pass After the passenger train had |
gone the conductor, being without special or
ders exercised his judgment. and deter |
mined that inasmuch as he had half an hour to
make the switch at Republic, little less than
five miles distant, before the arrival of the fast
express from the east, due at that point at 2
o'clock, he pulled out. The night was bitter
cold and much difficulty was experienced in
keeping up steam in the engine Finally. at a
point half mile west of Republic, the train
came to standstill, being unable to move
further.
just here was made the terrible mistake
which resulted in the loss of many lives, and
the destruction of thousands of dollars worth of
property. Although the conductor must have
known that he was encroaching dangerously
near the time of the express, he did not send out
the signal until after his train had come to
further. He then started forward with the
lantern himself. At this point there is sharp
curve, and conductor Fletcher had not proceeded
| more than the length of twenty cars when he saw
| the headlight of the approaching express round
! ing the curve not mere than forty rods distant,
and running at the lightning speed of sixty three
knowledge that frightfui accident could not be
averted, he flashed his light in the
face of the engineer Lem East
man. The latter at the same
moment saw the light of the freight engine, and,
giving wild shrek of the whistle for brakes,
he reversed his engine and jumped for his life,
crashing through the window of the cab, carry
| ing glass and sash with him, and alighted in a
heavy snow drift He escaped serious injury,
/ his hurts being confined to slight wound upon
the knee. AS he realized the danger, he called
to his fireman, William Fredericks, to save him
SELF The latter was engaged in stokiug the fire,
and raised up and hesitated a moment to glance
forward as if to estimate the danger. This was
fatal as at that instant the crash came, and
poor Fredericks was pinned and crushed by the
mass of the wreck.
The effect of the collision can be better imag-
ined than described. The engines of the two
trains reared into the air like pair of enraged
living monsters, and then settled down upon the
track, driven into each other until the cylinders
touched. The force of the impact jammed the
baggage into the tender of the fast train, the
into the express. In less than five minutes from
the moment of the collision, and before any or
ganized effort at rescue could be made, the fire
of the overturned stoves communicated to the
wood work, and flames leaped high into the air,
their roar mingling with the cries Of anguish OF
the imprisoned victims. to whom death in its
most terrible form was a horrid presence The
trainmen and unipiured passengers were pow
erless, and could do nothing to rescue the suf-
ferers.
The express train was in charge of Conductor
Tom Haskell, engineer Lem Eastman and fire.
man William Fredericks, and consisted of engine
No 726, mail and baggage car. express, smok-
| oh arA $xro c1a
was in charge of conductor Fletcher, engineer
. Killer and fireman W. j. Cullison, and consisted
of engine No. 925. and sixteen loaded and few
J empty cars The smoker contained from twelve
to fifteen passengers, some of whom were imni
grants. Three mon escaped alive, but their
names were not learned. Baggagemaster w
: F. Gates, of Newark was the only man in his
car, and he was hurt in both legs, the left les
being cut in several places. and splinter or roc
had run into his right foot. c. P Bradley, o.
Washington, D. c., was found hanging from the
window of the smoker, but his legs were fast ant
he could not be removed; there he remained IN
til he was burned to death, and his charret
2 sreEas.s fell to the ground, black and shapeles
$ mass He was conscious, and gave his address
! to the by ISLANDERS. and also said that he was a,
s officer of the Knights of Labor organization III
n gave his watch and other valuabes he could ee
:, = from his pockets to Conductor Fletcher, of tn
D freight train
Joseph Postlethwaite. aged fifty seven; an,
his sons, Spencer. aged eighteen, and Henry
aged eleven. were sitting in the seat in tn
/. smoker, and their charred remains foun
in the ruins CT the cara Mr.. Postlethwaite hi